Feed Your Face

What's the new superstar ingredient in your beauty products? It may be spinach. The antioxidant-packed green and a host of other fruit and veggie extracts (cherries! cucumbers! carrots!) are this spring's It ingredients, increasingly replacing synthetic additives. No surprise, considering that 79 percent of shoppers are seeking out natural products, according to NPD, a market research group. In addition, many women are creating their own beauty goodies in the kitchen. "Patients constantly tell me about recipes they make in lieu of buying products," says Jeanine Downie, MD, a dermatologist in Montclair, New Jersey. It's great for cutting back on chemicals and costs. Just steer clear of foods you're allergic to, which "could trigger the same symptoms as eating them," says Dr. Downie. Try these concoctions, products, and tips to get pretty — pure and simple.

1. Once a week — or whenever you feel you could use a shine boost — steep tea bags in boiling water for 10 minutes. Let the liquid cool to room temperature. (In a rush? Refrigerate it.)

2. Pour the mixture over wet, just-washed hair, rubbing it through the way you would shampoo.

3. Leave the rinse on for 10 minutes; wash and condition to seal in the silky, glossy results.

Beauty Benefit

"Tea lowers the pH of hair, closing the cuticle for extra shine, softness, and manageability," says Philip Pelusi, owner of Tela Design Studio in New York City. Tea's natural pigments can also neutralize brassiness for more flattering color.

Berry Skin Scrub

1. Stem strawberries, cut into small pieces, then mash against the sides of a bowl with a spoon until softened.

2. Fold in honey and gently mix until it's evenly distributed among berries.

3. Using small circles, continuously massage the mixture into your face for 3 minutes; rinse with warm water.

Beauty Benefit

Gentle enough for sensitive skin types, "the natural fruit enzymes in strawberries slough the dull top layer of skin," says Jolanta Smusz, an aesthetician at Devachan Salon and Departure Lounge in New York City. It's also ideal for dry and oily skin: The honey hydrates parched patches, while the two-ingredient combo produces a mild antiseptic that can help head off breakouts.

Finger Food Manicure

2. Dip the fleshy side into the sugar and use it to massage the skin around each nail (one halved grape per finger) for about 30 seconds each.

3. Brush away excess sugar with a soft towel and rub a dot of grapeseed oil or hand cream onto hands and cuticles.

Beauty Benefit

"The sugar crystals remove dead skin and hangnails, and the gentle fruit acids help exfoliate remaining raggedness," says Regine Berthelot, head aesthetician at New York City's Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, where signature manicures begin with this treatment. In addition, the oil and cream offer the instant shine of a top coat.

Tame Frizzy Hair

1. Mash banana and avocado together, then comb the mixture through dry hair, which absorbs more nutrients than wet.

2. Cover hair with a plastic cap (the heat it creates increases penetration) and leave on hair for 10 minutes; rinse clean with cool water.

Beauty Benefit

"Bananas are full of potassium, and avocados are packed with moisturizing fatty acids — two things that soften hair instantly," says Alex Safar of Salon Acote in Boston, who advises using this treatment every other week.